E-Commerce Technology

In business technology news, one area that is being highlighted is the need for retailers to adapt to the online world due to the pandemic. E-commerce was growing prior to the pandemic, but shopping habits have changed as we continue in a new world of social distancing and staying at home more.

 

We have seen many traditional shopping outlets fight for a share of the market and many have closed, such as Lord and Taylor. Last year only 10% of retail shopping was done online. Covid-19 has driven more people to shop in this manner, and now 16% of all sales is through online sales and is projected to grow. Small retailers have been hit the hardest and big retailers, like Amazon, have record profits. This information is relevant to BIT students, because it is important to understand how e-commerce works, how to use social media to connect with customers, and how to analyze the data collected to make good business decisions.

 

These skills are taught in various BIT courses (BIT 143, BIT 196, and BIT 200) and can really help students be prepared for this new world created by the pandemic. The information discussed here is from a November 16^th Wall Street Journal video, entitled “The Future of Retail: How Will the Pandemic Change How we Shop?”